The Spike Lee/Boots Riley/BlacKkKlansman saga continues.
Boots Riley unleashed a three-page critique on Twitter earlier this week about the new Spike Lee film inspired by a real-life black detective who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan.
Riley challenged the film’s authenticity and said the real detective, Ron Stallworth was a villain.
The essay said in part: “It’s a made up story in which the false parts of it to try to make a cop the protagonist in the fight against racist oppression. It’s being put while Black Lives Matter is a discussion, and this is not coincidental. There is a viewpoint behind it. The real Ron Stallworth infiltrated a Black radical organization for 3 years (not for one event like the movie portrays) where he did what all papers from the FBI’s Counter Intelligence Program (Cointelpro) that were found through the freedom of information act tell us he did- sabotage a Black radical organization whose intent had to do with the very least fighting racist oppression. For Spike to come out with a movie where story points are fabricated in order to make Black cop and his counterparts look like allies in the fight against racism is really disappointing, to put it very mildly.”
Now, Stallworth himself is firing back.
In an email to Okayplayer, he said, “I pray for my demented and dissolute brother.”
Lee still has not made a public response to Riley’s critiques as of yet.
The film, which stars John David Washington, Laura Harrier and Corey Hawkins is in theaters now.